Scientists Discover Possibility of Turning Urine Into Power Source

Research done by scientists at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol has for the first time shown the possibility of producing electricity from human urine.

Testing was done to determine the viability of urine as a fuel for Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), which contain bacteria that emit electrons. After being passed through an electrode, those electrons were then measured to ascertain the amount of electricity generated.

While the experiments only generated a small amount of energy, it’s believed that more research could uncover a way of producing “useful” power levels.

Dr. Ioannis Ieropoulos of UWE said he was “excited by the potential of the work,” adding more research may find it’s “possible to look at scales of use that have the potential to produce useful levels of power, for example in a domestic or small village setting.”